Post High School Planning

1. Post High School Planning Guilford High School School Counseling Department Tammy Lizotte-Director of Guidance Jennifer Fitting Diane Hall Nicole Rasmussen Dean Cornelio Laura Samperi Administrative Assistants: Nancy Cunningham & Toni Fermo

2. Agenda for the night: Tammy Lizotte – Guidance Director – Introduction and factors to consider in planning post high school planning process Laurie Saunders – UConn admissions – Factors to consider in college research Tammy Lizotte – Discuss the counselor role in this process and questions

3. Post High School Options • Full-Time Employment • Armed Forces • Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard • 2 year College • 4 year College • Technical/Vocational School • Post Graduate High School Year • Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, etc.

4. Student Success Plans (SSPs) • State Mandate beginning July 1, 2012 • Encompasses Academic, career, and personal / social goals • Student centered and student driven • Intentional support for goals • Guaranteed for all students • Monitor progress – self assessment, exemplar work

5. Factors to consider when planning life after high school: • What does your academic record say about you? • What do your standardized test scores say about you? • What do your activities outside of school say about you? • Who knows you?

6. What does your transcript say about you?

7. TRANSCRIPT • Most important piece to the college admission requirements. • Your official academic record. • Shows the level, credit and final averages of every class that you have taken for grades 9 – 11. • Weighted CPA and class decile are noted on your transcript.

8. Graduation Requirements 22 Total Credits: • 4.0 English • 3.0 Mathematics • 3.0 Science • 3.0 Social Studies - inc. 1.0 of US History and 0.5 of Civics • 2.0 Physical Education/Health • 1.0 Arts/Vocational Education • 20 hours documented of Community Service • Must attain proficiency (level 3) in all four areas of the CAPT

9. Build a Strong Senior Year Schedule as part of your Plan of Study • Competitive College Prep Schedule: • 4th year of all the major subjects including foreign language • At the highest level the student can handle. • Attaining the strongest grades possible • Your CPA is not updated for senior year, but they see your first quarter/midyear and final grades!!! Senioritis is not okay! • There is no such thing as an easy senior year schedule if you are going on to a post secondary institution.

10. Class Decile and CPA • A student’s decile and CPA are based on Sophomore & Junior year grades only. • Senior year grades will be sent during the application process but are not included in the Decile or CPA. • Your CPA will not be recalculated until the end of 3rd quarter senior year.

11. CPA SCALE (EFFECTIVE JULY 2013) AP Honors level 1 level 2 A+ 4.83 4.58 4.33 3.83 A 4.50 4.25 4.00 3.50 A- 4.17 3.92 3.67 3.17 B+ 3.83 3.58 3.33 2.83 B3.50 3.25 3.00 2.50 B-3.17 2.92 2.67 2.17 C+ 2.83 2.58 2.33 1.83 C 2.50 2.25 2.00 1.50 C- 2.17 1.92 1.67 1.17 D+ 1.83 1.58 1.33 0.83 D 1.50 1.25 1.00 0.50 D- 1.17 0.92 0.67 0.17 F 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

12. Other CPA information Each student will receive a cumulative point average (CPA) using the chart above. Only grades earned at Guilford High School during sophomore, junior and senior years will be used to calculate the CPA. Grades earned at other secondary schools and through outplacement programs may be counted toward graduation credit requirements but will not be used in determining the CPA. Total quality points earned will be divided by the number of credits attempted. Thus, if a course is failed or credit is withheld, the course will still be counted in determining the cumulative point average. For transcript purposes, the student’s CPA and decile rank will be reported. In that way, colleges and employers will be able to assess the student’s record in comparison to the high and low averages for the class. The cumulative point average will be used to determine honors for graduation. Students achieving a minimum of a 4.00 CPA will graduate with high honors; those achieving a minimum of a 3.50 CPA will graduate with honors. Cumulative point averages will be calculated to the hundredths place; averages will not be rounded. Students may repeat any course at any time in order to raise the mark in a course. However, the course will receive credit only once and will be taken for level zero on subsequent attempts.

13. What do your standardized test scores say about you?

14. Standardized Testing - SAT • SAT I:Measures Critical Reading, Writing and Math reasoning skills developed over time both in and outside the classroom. • 70 minutes critical reading, 70 minutes math, 60 minutes writing. • 2400 scale (200 – 800 each category). • SAT II: Measures knowledge and skills in particular subject areas. • Required by many of the most selective colleges. • Recommended to be taken after the completion of an Honors/AP course. • Many colleges use the SAT Subject Tests for admission, for course placement, and to advise students about course selection. Some colleges specify the SAT Subject Tests that they require for admission or placement; others allow applicants to choose which tests to take.

15. Standardized Testing - ACT Students should take the ACT with a writing test option to make it comparable to the SAT. Four 35 – 50 minute tests in the areas of English usage, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Natural Science readings. Receive 4 separate scores plus a composite score averaging the four tests. Scale is 1 – 36. WWW.ACTSTUDENT.ORG to register.

16. SAT and ACT – Frequently Asked Questions Registration is completed by the student (generally online through the SAT and/or ACT website). GHS is now a test center for the SAT for most dates. GHS is not a test center for the ACT. The sooner you register, the better the chance to get a close test center. The school counselors have a list of test prep options. Through Collegeboard/ACT, you sign up to send your SAT and/or ACT scores directly to the schools. They are not sent by guidance. Some schools do not look at the writing test. They compare critical reading and math on the 1600 scale. A few schools do not require SAT scores. They are asking for a graded writing sample instead ( www.fairtest.org ). Students typically 3 different test opportunities (1 SAT / 1 ACT / additional test depending on what suits you best).

17. Standardized Testing Dates • SAT/SAT II Test Date RegDeadline Late Reg Deadline January 25 December 27 January 10 March 8 February 7 February 21 May 3 April 4 April 18 June 7 May 9 May 23 • ACT Test Dates Reg Deadline Late Reg Deadline February 8 January 10 January 24 April 12 March 7 March 21 June 14 May 9 May 23

18. What do your activities outside of the classroom say about you?

19. What do you do outside the classroom?? Your resume: IT IS AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT YOU DO IN THE CLASSROOM • Leadership • Musical or Theater Involvement • Community Service • Extracurricular Clubs & Activities • Athletics • Employment • Summer Experiences, Internships, Travel • THESE OPPORTUNITIES DEMONSTRATE WHO YOU ARE AND YOUR PASSIONS

20. Who knows you? .

21. References & Recommendations: WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW • School counselor recommendations • Most colleges are looking for 1 – 2 teacher recommendations • Typically look for one math or science teacher and one English or social studies teacher • START THINKING OF WHICH OF YOUR JUNIOR TEACHERS YOU WANT TO ASK • Most students ask the teacher at the start of senior year

22. College Search Process What school is right for you?

23. PLEASE WELCOME… Laurie Saunders, Associate Director of Admissions & Recruitment, UConn

24. From a college admissions counselor perspective Impact of CPA Factors to consider in college research - Location: state, city vs. rural - Major - Social opportunities and activities - Size Importance of the college visit

25. NCAA Requirements Core Courses NCAA Division I requires 16 core courses. NCAA Division II currently requires 14 core courses. Division II will require 16 core courses for students enrolling on or after August 1, 2013. NCAA Division I will require 10 core courses to be completed prior to the seventh semester (seven of the 10 must be a combination of English, math or natural or physical science that meet the distribution requirements below). These 10 courses become "locked in" at the seventh semester and cannot be retaken for grade improvement. Grade Point Average Test Scores

26. Reach/Realistic/Safety Schools Reach - A reach school is a college that you have a chance of getting into, but your test scores, class rank and / or high school grades are a bit on the low side when you look at the school's profile Realistic - A realistic school is a college that you are pretty likely to get into because your test scores, class rank and / or high school grades fall right into the middle range when you look at the school's profile Safety - A safety school is a college that you will almost certainly get into because your test scores, class rank and / or high school grades are well above average when you look at the school's profile.

27. The Role of the School Counselor • Support student involvement • Help refine list of schools to 6-8 to which to apply • Student Success Plans support • Communicate – • Naviance tool • Appointments with Student / Family

28. GHS IS ON TWITTER!! The Guilford High School Guidance Department is on Twitter! For the latest happenings from GHS guidance, follow us: @ghs_counselor Or, click on the link: https://twitter.com/ghs_counselor

29. Naviance • College research/communication tool. • Use to compare CPA, standardized tests of specific colleges to your own statistics. • Parents, students and counselors can assess the same information. • Transcript, midyear grades and Letters of recommendation can be sent to colleges electronically. • Website: www.connection.naviance.com/guilfordhs

30. QUESTIONS

31. Class of 2015 Success!!!!